The Blues signed a £47.5m deal on Wednesday to add Sterling to their squad and, speaking to Sky Sports News, Tuchel described himself as “delighted”, explaining that the England forward would be a “big improvement” for the club. Chelsea team. The London club are also closing in on the capture of Kalidou Koulibaly, with the Napoli centre-back in the capital for his medical after the clubs agreed a fee of around £32m. However, the Chelsea manager made it clear that Chelsea – who have seen big-name players Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Romelu Lukaku leave this summer – will need to continue to bring in high-calibre signings if they are to compete with City and Liverpool for the top honors this season. “The stakes are high and we are competing against not only the best teams that have ever played in the Premier League, but also the best managers,” Tuchel said. “If you [then] Look at the transfer window and the quality of the manager at Tottenham, if you see the same at Arsenal, at Manchester United, we know what the challenge is. It’s the hardest challenge you can [have]. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says they need to sign quality players like Raheem Sterling to challenge for the Premier League. “We’re coming from sanctions, we’re coming from losing top players, key players, we’re a club in transition, in ownership transition, we’ve been back in the transfer race and we’ve been back on the board. So we have things to improve. “The signing of Raheem shows what we can do, it shows the ambition of the club and the ownership and it’s good because we’re all here to win and compete. “We like to compete and we like the challenge at the top. For that we need to get new quality players otherwise there is no chance.” Tuchel describes the relationship between himself and co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali as “very close and intense” at the moment, with the pair assisting the manager with transfers in the absence of a permanent sporting director. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Mason Mount believes new Chelsea signing Raheem Sterling will be a big presence and leader at the London club The German says the trio are focused on bringing in the best possible players to combine with the current squad and emerging young talent at the club. “It started with analyzing last season, our performances, our squad, where we think we need to improve and we can improve,” Tuchel said, explaining the recruitment process. “It’s no secret that we’ve lost top players and we need to replace them. Even if they were left, we needed improvement to close the gap, so we need even more now. “We’ve got top players and more importantly we’ve got a top squad. But if we’re bringing in players we need top quality with top character and then you’re talking about the very, very best who play this game. “What we will never forget is the mix because what makes Chelsea special is the number of academy players and we will never hesitate to give them responsibility and push them because the mix makes them special and exciting for me to be around coach. and part of it and that’s the way we have to go.” Tuchel declined to comment on links to Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and said signing another striker was “not the priority” now that Sterling has joined the squad. Instead, his focus is on Chelsea’s back line. “I wouldn’t rule it out [signing another striker] but right now it’s not the priority. The priority right now is defense, it’s no secret. From there we have to see what is possible,” Tuchel said. “We are competing with the top two teams, but Tottenham have had a very active and aggressive and early transfer window, they have probably the strongest squad they have ever had with one of the best managers in the world, Manchester United never hesitate to sign with a new manager and Arsenal have already had some big signings so we have to keep the level up to be competitive.”
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Who will be on the move this summer before the transfer window closes at 11pm on September 1st? Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumors on our exclusive Transfer Center blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up on the information and analysis on Sky Sports News.
